The NBA said that Kings co-Owner Gavin Maloof and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson will host a "private luncheon with Kings corporate sponsors" today, the "first step in an image makeover guided by the league's high-powered consulting team," according Kasler & Lillis of the SACRAMENTO BEE. NBA Exec VP/Team Marketing & Business Operations Chris Granger, leading the league's delegation, said that today's meeting is the "precursor to a wider public relations campaign for the team that's likely to start next week." Granger: "You will see a wide campaign, a very wide campaign. We're working on it right now." Kasler & Lillis note the NBA team of execs is "advising the Kings organization on executing sponsorship and ticket sales and other nuts-and-bolts issues," while also trying to "help the Kings repair their image following the Maloofs' well-publicized attempt to move" the team to Anaheim. Maloof's presence at today's lunch is "noteworthy because the family has had a rocky relationship at times with Johnson and other city officials." Granger said that the Maloofs "have spent hours on the phones with corporate sponsors since Monday." Granger added that he is "impressed with the fans' loyalty to the team." He said season-ticket renewals, which began Monday, have "exceeded our most hopeful expectations." Granger: "It's impressive for any market" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 5/5).
YOU CAN ALWAYS GO HOME AGAIN: Kings co-Owner Joe Maloof yesterday addressed the family's decision to keep the team in Sacramento, saying, "When we put everything aside and we looked at the positives and the negatives, we had to give them another opportunity. The business community reached out to us. The fans were spectacular. We just in our heart, we had to go back. Anaheim is a wonderful market. Henry Samueli, who owns the Ducks there, he's a terrific man. He made a great deal for us if we did decide to go to Anaheim, but we thought it was best to give Sacramento one more chance." Discussing the franchise's relationship with Sacramento city officials, Maloof said, "They have a different attitude than maybe they had in Seattle. Seattle was more of a butting-heads type attitude. In Sacramento, the mayor wants to keep us there. He's doing what he can. ... He's made a lot of promises to the league, to the relocation committee, to us as a family, and we take him for his word and hopefully he can get it done" ("The Strategy Session," CNBC, 5/4). Meanwhile, former Kings star Chris Webber on Monday said that Sacramento "must prove it deserves the team and that there's a lot of work to be done." Johnson said he has spoken with Webber "three to four times" over the past few weeks and added, "He's going to play some role. He wants to be involved and we're figuring out where the best place for him to be involved is" (SACBEE.com, 5/4).
